My dog had ehrlichia. Can she get it again, or will it be chronic?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My furbaby had an ehrlichia abt 5 mos ago, she successfully completed the treatment (21 days of antibiotic as prescribed by vet) & I made the mistake of not giving her monthly tick preventive & I saw 1 tick on her 3 days ago but she is well. my question is; is she vulnerable to having ehrlichia again? God forbid, if she happen to have again, will it go straight to subclinical/chronic stage given her history? I know Im being paranoid but I do hope you can give me proper guidance. Thank u so much
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 4th, 2020
That is a great question, and one that doesn't really have a crystal clear answer. If she was initially treated during the acute phase, its possible that that bacteria was completely eliminated. It is possible that the antibodies produced by her body may prevent a second infection, however there is no guarantee of this. If a second infection develops, it is more likely to be subclinical, and it may or may not ever progress to being chronic and symptomatic. Having said all of that, I wouldn't be overly stressed. Use a monthly tick prevention moving forward, and if she develops any symptoms of illness, take her to your vet. https://www.petcarerx.com/article/identify-ehrlichiosis-symptoms-at-all-3-stages-of-the-disease/1545 Thank you for asking PetCoach!
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Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 25th, 2018
That sounds like an appropriate treatment. It can take 6-12 months for the antibody levels to fall back down to negative, although sometimes they never fully clear. It's very important to keep him on a good tick preventative at all times because he can definitely get reinfected at any point. He has antibodies in his system still, but that doesn't indicate an active infection. You could request a PCR test to try to look for active infection, but unless he's still ill and you and your vet can't figure out why, I don't see the value in this.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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